To celebrate the upcoming International Women’s Day, an online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb stated that women hosts using their platform have earned nearly USD 20 billion since its creation in 2008. The American company proudly stated that they are satisfied with their work in women empowerment towards financial, professional and social freedom.
“Last year, we were proud to announce that women made $10 billion on Airbnb since the company was founded in 2008. This year, we are thrilled to share that in the past year alone, women have made almost an additional $10 billion and represent more than half of the Airbnb community,” said the statement from Airbnb.
The statement revealed that while women earned $10 billion between 2008 and 2017, in the last year alone, women hosts earned nearly $10 billion, which is a huge improvement. Moreover, the majority of home hosts are women (55%) and they make up 50% of Experience hosts worldwide. In countries like New Zealand, women make up 70% of hosts.
“Clearly, women are a driving force of the Airbnb community, and we are proud to provide the end-to-end travel platform for their entrepreneurial spirit to thrive,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-founder, CEO, and Head of Community.
Women make up 63% and 61% of hosts in South Africa and Philippines while Vietnam is among the fastest-growing markets for women as their number has doubled since last year. Ladies are also the among the most successful hosts as those in the United States earned the most overall last year with roughly $3 billion in total. However, Japanese women earned the most on average with $10,000 per year, followed by the Cook Islands with $8,000 annually.
The company stated, “Whether it’s sharing a home or an Experience, we are proud to support women worldwide by providing a platform for entrepreneurship. And we’re continually inspired by many of the women hosts who have used Airbnb to change their lives through hospitality, earn money, and reach their goals.”
Moreover, Airbnb collaborated with several organizations that support female entrepreneurs all over the world. For example, in India, Airbnb is collaborating with the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India, which is amongst the largest female trade unions countrywide, to give additional opportunities to women living in rural areas. A partnership with Vital Voices has helped support travel requirements of women entrepreneurs which is essential in developing their professional network. Airbnb also started an association with Open Africa to give opportunities to rural area women of earning a living. Finally, Airbnb also worked alongside SP Business, a branch of Sao Paula City Hall, to endorse female entrepreneurship in the technology sector in Brazil by allowing female entrepreneurs to host at the Airbnb offices in San Francisco.